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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wind · mark · vault · pit · staff · season · rock · bark

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. season — in sport
  5. pit — in a race
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. wind — moving air
  8. staff — employees
  9. mark — a trace
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. pit — a hole
  12. rock — music
  13. bark — to shout
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. wind — moving air
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. season — of the year
  18. vault — a safe
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — a stick
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. mark — a grade
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. rock — a stone

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com